Johnson picked his shots on the feet and with takedowns, as he
defeated Ian McCall by
unanimous decision in the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight
tournament semifinals at
UFC on FX 3 on Friday at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise,
Fla. All three cageside judges scored it for the 5-foot-3 Johnson
(15-2-1, 3-1-1 UFC): 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28.

The man they call “Mighty Mouse” will lock horns with Team Alpha
Male’s Joseph
Benavidez for the vacant UFC flyweight crown later this
year.

“I look forward [to fighting for the title],” he said. “Joseph
Benavidez is a killer. I like the guy, but it’s going to be a
great fight. I’m going to go back home and train hard and let my
injuries heal and get after it.”

He certainly got after McCall (11-3-1, 0-1-1 UFC). Johnson came out
of the gates firing, as he struck for a double-leg takedown inside
the first minute and later put “Uncle Creepy” on his rear end with
an exquisite straight right hand to the face. The blow knocked
McCall off balance and left him with a small cut across the bridge
of the nose, but he did not accept defeat quietly. The 27-year-old
Californian landed a trio of takedowns and a spinning back elbow in
the second round. However, his inability to keep Johnson grounded
for any length of time proved to be his undoing.

“This time, I just went back to old school,” Johnson said. “It’s
about using my athletic ability and letting my mind go free and
doing what I trained to do for eight weeks.”

In the third round, Johnson resumed his attack, as he scored with
another takedown and put his combinations together with speed,
power and accuracy. McCall, who had never before been beaten at 125
pounds, grew increasingly frustrated as the final frame
unfolded.

“I’m really disappointed in myself,” he said. “I thought, maybe, I
was down. That’s what I figured.”

Silva Choke Submits Brenneman

Erick
Silva File Photo

Silva is a threat at 170.

Brazilian prospect Erick Silva
cemented himself as a person of interest at 170 pounds in the
co-main event, as he submitted
AMA Fight Club standout Charlie
Brenneman with a first-round rear-naked choke. Brenneman (15-4,
4-3 UFC) tapped out 4:33 into round one.

Silva answered the rugged and determined American wrestler at every
turn. Brenneman landed a pair of takedowns, only to see the former
Jungle Fight champion return to his feet on each occasion. Once
there, it was clear Brenneman was a man on a ledge. Silva sprawled
perfectly on one final takedown attempt from “The Spaniard,”
wheeled around to the back, calmly sank his hooks and finished with
the choke. A flattened-out Brenneman was left with no choice but to
surrender.

Pyle secured a takedown inside the first minute and spent much of
the round working inside his opponent’s active but largely
ineffective guard. After Neer (33-11-1, 6-7 UFC) returned to an
upright position, he backed Pyle down and attacked him with punches
and short standing elbows. He appeared to have his foe reeling
against the cage, but a beautifully timed short right hand sent
“The Dentist” to the canvas and brought an abrupt end to the bout.
Neer, who entered the cage on a six-fight winning streak, had not
been knocked out in more than five years.

“I wanted to show my right hand and make the takedown, which I
did,” said Pyle, a former WEC champion. “He was able to get back up
and come a little more aggressive. That’s his style. He wants to
come and bring it and be in your face. He caught me with a couple
of good ones, and I had enough.”

Wineland set the tone with a thudding right hand from the start,
but it was a stiff left jab that dropped Jorgensen in the first
round. “Young Guns” survived the blow and returned to his feet. In
the second round, Jorgensen opened a hideous diagonal gash above
Wineland’s left eye, leaving him badly bloodied. However, the
27-year-old
Duneland Vale Tudo representative responded with a right cross
that floored Jorgensen and left him in a dazed state, unable to
defend himself. A series of right hands on the ground ended it.

“Just keep me fighting,” Wineland said. “I’m happy when I’m
fighting, as you can tell. I’m split wide open. I can feel inside
my mouth I’m all torn up, but I want to keep fighting. I’m a
corn-fed hillbilly from Indiana. That’s how we get down.”